The face value of $100 is the same in all 50 states, but when it comes to actual purchasing power, your mileage may vary depending on where you are. These are the states that offer the biggest bang for your buck.

Update: Ask and you shall receive! The good folks at Tax Foundation have also put together a map for metropolitan areas due to popular demand. This map helps break down smaller regions a lot better. Check it out below!

Advertisement

The numbers on the map, from the Tax Foundation, represent the actual value of goods you can buy in each state compared to the national average—as calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Essentially, $100 that you earn in one state is actually worth more than $100 you'd earn in another. Some of the gaps aren't that wide, but when you consider your salary, it can make a world of difference. For example:

The same amount of dollars are worth almost 40 percent more in Mississippi than in DC, and the differences become even larger if metro area prices are considered instead of statewide averages. A person who makes $40,000 a year after tax in Kentucky would need to have after-tax earnings of $53,000 in Washington, DC just in order to have an equal standard of living, let alone feel richer.

Of course, states where your money may be worth less also tend to have higher incomes to try and balance things—so keep that in mind. Still, it's something to consider when you're dwelling on places to move or open a business. For more information on the relative value of $100 across the states, check the link below.